U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,936 discloses a method and an arrangement for controlling an adjusting device in the context of a power adjusting element such as a throttle flap of an internal combustion engine. The power adjusting element is controlled and adjusted in dependence upon an operating variable which is preferably the position of an operator-controlled element. In this patent, the problem is considered that a precise correspondence of driver command and throttle flap position is required for precisely driving the power adjusting element. The position of the power adjusting element changes, for example, because of deterioration over time or because of a scattering with respect to individual elements and other inaccuracies caused by mechanical tolerances and adjustments. To solve this problem, the above-mentioned patent discloses that the mechanical stops of the power adjusting element are adapted. More specifically, the idle stop as well as the full-load stop are continuously detected by means of a so-called learning process and the association of the position of the operator-controlled element and a desired adjustment value derived therefrom is correspondingly adapted for the power adjusting element. A controller then actuates the power adjusting element in correspondence to the desired adjusting value.
With this procedure, the correspondence between the position of the operator-controlled element and the adjustment desired value for the power adjusting element is adapted; however, an adaptation of the adjustment desired value and of the actual value transducer detecting the position of the power adjusting element cannot take place in this manner, that is, an adjustment of the controller for the position of the power adjusting element. In conventional systems, this is carried out by trimming resistors in combination with the manufacture of the control apparatus. However, this is associated with an increased work effort, increased costs, as well as additional sources of error. Furthermore, the stops are often driven into with the known procedure whereby mechanical damage is possible.